


A WORLD OF DEMONS

by The_5th_Archangel_Is_The_7th_Avenger



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, BAMF Bucky Barnes, Domestic Avengers, Fluff and Angst, Manipulation, Mind Palace, Multi, Original Character(s), POV Original Character, Secrets, Tony Stark Does What He Wants
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2020-11-08 23:33:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20843855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_5th_Archangel_Is_The_7th_Avenger/pseuds/The_5th_Archangel_Is_The_7th_Avenger
Summary: The title is based off the DW quote "One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an Angel."This is a small girl's journey from child assassin to hero, as she discovers things she thought she had lost.What will she do when she discovers she's not who she thought she was? That her memories lie, and people she trusted knew more than they told her?This story will not follow canon; I will take bits and pieces.





	1. Death of a Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously don't own the Avengers, SHIELD, HYDRA etc. Bruce and Thor aren't in this story, presume they're AWOL or something. Coulson+team may make an appearance, they're definitely mentioned. I'm unsure whether I'll give her an OC love interest, but SpideyxOC stories are kinda overdone, so it won't be him.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm rewriting this entire story.  
We see our main character snap.

**1ST PERSON - ASSET 2**

I was seven years old the day I broke my conditioning and fled my torturers.

I was standing in the main training room, the floor littered with dummies and various obstacles. I had just finished a three-hour training session, and yet I was barely sweating. I was being escorted back to my quarters, when Baron Zemo entered the room. He was short and pudgy, but still struck fear into me like a sinner being struck by God. “Asset Two, stand to attention.” A female guard yelled, her accent harsh and hard to understand. I scrambled to comply, standing ramrod straight, arms at my sides.

"Asset Two. You have one final test before your training is finished and you become the Silver Snake." Zemo instructed, his voice emotionless. Internally, I shivered, but I remained in position. . "Your final test is this;" Zemo's voice turned cruel. "My guard here is going to kill Asset Three. You are going to watch. Any attempt to intervene will result in the deaths of Assets Three, Four and Five. Asset Six is also facing his final test, and if you pass you will be paired together. Do you understand?"

I met Zemo’s ice-grey eyes, answering only, “Understood, sir.” Zemo looked pleased, as he gestured to another guard standing by the door.

Asset Three, known to me as Jamie, was dragged into the room by two agents who carelessly dumped her in front of little me and exited the room again. Jamie looked at me pleadingly, her lip bloody and her left eye swollen. Evidently, she'd put up a fight. Oh, Jamie. I silently whispered, my heart squeezing painfully. Yet, I made no move to help her.

“Guard, kill her.” Zemo ordered.

The guard immediately strode towards Jamie, who was cowering on the floor. While she wasn't actually bad at hand-to-hand combat, she stood no chance against someone with a gun. As I watched impassively, the man hauled Jamie up by her neck, and she instinctively kicked him in the throat. Zemo's eyes tightened with rage, and he stepped towards them again.

I’ve changed my mind. Break her." he snarled, and I shook slightly as the guard nodded once, tightening his grip on Jamie's neck. By now, she was struggling for breath, and just as she was about to pass out, he dropped her. She hit the ground whimpering and gasping for air, but she barely had a chance to breathe before he moved. He kicked her stomach viciously, causing her to scream as her ribs broke. As she tried to crawl away, he grabbed her again and threw her across the room, watching as she hit a wall and fell to the ground, crying.

I had my orders, so I didn’t move as Jamie cried for me. The guard had her in the air again, and she went to weakly punch him in the face, but he merely reached for her arm. Without so much as blinking, he snapped her arm. At this point, she reverted to pre-condition Jamie and broke. She began screaming.

"Sissy! Sissy, please!" she screamed my name, her grey eyes meeting my tear-filled ones over her tormenter’s shoulder. It was at this point that I broke through my conditioning.

"Stop! You monster, stop! Please!" I began screaming, throwing myself desperately at the guard’s enormous body. He seemed to hesitate, actually dropping Jamie to the floor, where she lay without moving. "Please, please. Stop." I kept begging him, pummelling him with my tiny fists. All at once, he stopped.

“I will not.” He said gruffly, facing a red-faced Zemo, who seemed to inflate, his eyes bulging.

"Give him to the science department. And get this brat out of my sight." Zemo growled, his eyes fixed darkly on my cowering body.

"What of Asset Three?" one agent asked him.

"Finish her." he snapped, turning heel and striding out of the room. The agent standing behind me grabbed my waist, picking me up and carrying me, thrashing, out of the room. I saw the agent nearest to Jamie cocking his gun and shooting her cleanly in the head. Suddenly, I was fighting. I was on the ground, punching and kicking and snapping every person I could reach, until there was nobody left but me and an empty hallway. Alarms began blaring, but I ignored them. I had one thought only.

Run.

**3RD PERSON – 20 minutes later:**

There was only one occupant in the tiny room. It looked to be a young boy, about ten years old. He was short and lean, certainly small for his age. He sat on a foam mattress in the corner of the room, shivering in a too-small shirt and tight grey pants. In one hand was a filthy rag, crusted with dark blood. He seemed to be binding a wound on his other hand, not even flinching as he pulled the cloth tight. Just as he finished, the steel door banged open. The boy scrambled to his feet, wound forgotten, as he stood to attention.

“At ease, Asset Six.” A sharp voice sliced through the air, as a small yet intimidating man entered the room. He was accompanied by several guards, all wearing bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles. The small boy obeyed, shifting position but never losing the tension from his skinny body.

“Sir, may I ask the outcome of Asset Two’s assessment?” He asked, his voice strong. The man eyed him for a minute, before nodding at the guards. They retreated to outside the door, leaving just the boy and the man in the tiny room.

“You may. That is why I am here. Asset Two has failed her assessment. She attempted to kill Asset Three, before she and a guard attempted to attack our base. The guard was detained, however Asset Two escaped.” The man spoke in a barely controlled voice, only the tick in his eye betraying his anger. The boy looked up sharply, never breaking his stance.

“Sir, what is Asset Three’s condition?” he asked, his voice trembling. The man eyed him carefully, pausing before gesturing for the boy to leave the room. The man led the boy to another steel door, this one labelled ‘Recovery Room’.

He entered, and nearly gasped at what he saw. Asset Three was sprawled on the bed, unconscious. She had various gruesome injuries, the most obvious her brutally broken arm. She was pale and still, however she was breathing.

“Asset Three will live. As for Asset Two? It is your mission to train until you are better, even than her. Then you are to hunt her down and kill her. Is that understood?” Baron Zemo ordered, his eyes noting the way the boy’s shoulders stiffened.

“Yes, sir.” Asset 6 answered simply.


	2. A friendship like no other.

**1ST PERSON - ASSET 2**

I had been running for days. I had no idea where I was, only that I was somewhere hot and bushy. Luckily, I had been trained to survive on minimal resources. Unluckily, I wasn’t taught which plants were safe and which weren’t. I was supposed to learn once I’d graduated.

Which is how I ended up delirious and weak, the day I finally stumbled out of the bush into a small town. The only thing I noticed before passing out was that the houses were all made of sun-baked mud bricks, and all the people were wearing Egyptian clothing.

When I woke up next, there was a woman leaning over me. I panicked and lashed out, crying out. She was wearing a uniform and looked suspiciously like a guard. _Had they found me already?_

“No! No! I won’t go back!” I cried, but I was weak with hunger and sickness. The woman simply picked me up, ignoring my cries, whispering in a language I didn’t know. Just as she carried me inside a large building, my fever overcame me, and I passed out again.

The next time I woke, my fever was gone, and I felt much better. I was lying on an uncomfortable mattress in a room with a low ceiling, a scratchy blanket covering my body. That woman was sitting beside me, which confused me. We were never given blankets, and we never had someone with us when we were recovering.

“Who are you?” I dared to ask, my throat sore and my tongue dry, but still able to talk.

She looked up in surprise, smiling soothingly at my wary expression.

“Good afternoon, little girl. My name is Maria. What’s yours?”

"Asset Two, ma'am." I answered, sitting up as best I could in the lumpy bed. The woman, Maria, looked at me strangely.

"No, sweetheart. Your _name._" she pressed gently, and I stared at her in confusion.

"Assets do not have names." I stated, puzzled. Did she not know this? Who _was _she?

"I'll call you Cassie, for now. We can find a better name for you later." Maria decided. I nodded silently in acceptance.

"Are you hungry, Cassie?" she asked, changing the topic suddenly. I frowned, puzzled. I was never asked if I was hungry. I either got food or I didn't.

"I think so..." I said cautiously, unsure what the right answer was. She smiled kindly, reaching behind her. I tensed automatically, bracing for the sharp sting of a whip, and was pleasantly surprised when she revealed a small slice of fresh bread in her clean hand. I looked at her, unsure, and she nodded encouragingly.

"It's for you. It's not poisoned, I swear." she handed me the bread, meeting my eyes. She picked up another piece and took a bite, showing me the chewed up mess in her mouth. I nodded in acknowledgement, picking up the bread and gulping it down before she decided to take it back.

"Okay, Cassie. I know you're scared, and that's okay. I'm not going to ask you any questions just yet, that can wait. For now, I want you to focus on healing. Can you do that?" she asked gently, and I nodded firmly.

"Yes, ma'am." I responded, and she frowned but let it pass.

It was a few days before anything happened. I didn't talk much, mostly one word answers, but Maria kept trying. She was determined to break through to me. That breakthrough came the day they found me.

**~~Maria's POV~~**

It had been four days since I found the girl, _Cassie_, _I kept reminding myself._ It took her a couple of days to fall asleep around me, and even then she would not sleep with a blanket. She always faced me, and never slept on her stomach. I'd gotten her to let me clean her, and I almost cried at the horrible scars I saw. They were in hard-to-see places, where nobody would notice unless they were close, _too _close, to her. It made me shiver to think of the things she'd gone through.

I wasn't naive, I knew she was probably child assassin. Her muscles were incredibly-well developed, and she had a kind of, _animalistic _look to her. She was used to fighting to survive, that much was clear. What I didn't know was who had raised her, and how she had escaped. Those questions could wait, however. For now, I had to get her to trust me.

I'd just finished my own clean up, and she was curled up on her mattress, sleeping restlessly. After giving her a cursory glance, I settled onto my own mattress. I stared at the earthen ceiling, thoughts crowding my head. The mission, which I had completed just before I found Cassie, who she was, what we were going to do with her. I was so engrossed I didn't notice something was wrong until Cassie whimpered softly. My eyes flew open and I lay still, peering out of the corner of my eyes at her. She was crouched in the corner of the hut, arms raised above her head. 

"Cassie? What's wrong?" I whispered urgently, kicking my blanket off and turning the safety off on my pistol. She whimpered again, quieter, like she was desperately trying to make no noise.

"They're coming for me." she whispered, her usually-strong voice shaking. _Oh shit_.

"Okay, sweetie. I'm guessing you can hear them, yes? Do you know how many?" I whispered, moving over to crouch in front of her. She stared at me with terrified eyes, and held up four fingers.

"Listen to me, Cassie. I'm going to try and find them before they find you. I need you to stay here. If something happens, go to my bag. There's a radio in there, hold down the SOS button for three seconds and then run. If I don't find you, keep running until my people get here." I instructed her urgently, checking the ammunition in my pistol. I had a full barrel, so I cocked it and held it close to my body.

She nodded silently, not moving. Reassured that she knew the plan, I stood out of my crouch and tiptoed towards the door. By now, I too could here the pounding of boots on compact earth, and the surprised cries of the villagers. There was shouting in rough accents, and I recognised the language with a sinking heart. 

_Russian._

_Red_ _Room._

I waited, heart pounding, hiding behind the door. Just as the boots became close enough that I could hear four different sets, I struck. Kicking the door out, I knocked one of the agents to the floor, but not for long. She was up and at me quickly, _too quickly_. I fired without hesitation, putting a round straight into her heart. She staggered, but wasn't down. The agent's fellows had realised they were under attack now, and swarmed me. I was punched and hit over and over again, occasionally landing a hit on one of them. My gun was dropped in the fight, and I was growing desperate when suddenly, six gunshots rang out in quick succession. Three of the brutes dropped, blood seeping from their heads. I turned my head, confused, and saw Cassie standing in the doorway holding my pistol. She looked scared, but confident.

The fourth agent instantly pulled out her own gun and held it to my head, the cold metal somehow welcoming in the oppressive heat of the night. 

"Move and I'll shoot your new friend." She snarled, in perfect English. Cassie began shaking, but still held the gun.

"Cassie, run. Please." I cried, yelping when the woman kneed me in the back.

"You're willing to sacrifice your life for _her?_" she laughed, and I felt fury rise inside me.

"Damn straight." I snarled, and she released her hold on me, causing me to drop to the ground. 

"Why?" she asked simply, still pointing the gun at me. "She's just a _fucking _child!" the disbelief in her voice was horrible.

I bared my teeth at her, blood dripping into my mouth from a nasty cut on my nose.

"Exactly. She's a _child._" I answered simply, and the woman laughed. Cassie took the opportunity to empty the gun into the woman's chest, effectively killing her. We both were silent, before Cassie sat beside me.

"You're the first person who has ever thought of me as a child, not a weapon." she whispered, her eyes filled with gratitude and awe.

"I aim to be a lot of firsts, Cassie. What do you say, should we go home?" I asked her softly, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes." she whispered, putting her tiny hand on mine. I smiled, joy flooding through me. I'd already fallen in love with this broken little girl.

"Oh, and Maria?" Cassie added, tugging my arm slightly. I turned to her, and looked at her questioningly. She smiled up at me, and made her first independent choice.

"I like the name Antheia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look. This rewrite will give more depth to Antheia's story, allow you to actually develop emotions for her and her friends. I will keep everything I've written so far, just it will be written a little differently. Because I'm just editing already written content, this won't take long.


	3. Nicholas J Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassie decides on a full name and meets Nick Fury.

**~~1ST PERSON MARIA~~**

"What about Grace? It's a pretty name." I suggested, and Cassie shook her head.

"No, it's too..." she wrinkled her nose, "Soft. I want a fierce middle name." I almost laughed at the look of distaste on the seven year old's tiny face. It had only been a week since we'd fought and killed the Red Room Guards, and Cassie was a different girl.

"We could look at the names of goddesses of war and see if you like any of them?" I suggested, and Cassie looked thoughtful.

"Then I'd have the name of _two _goddesses. I like that! I'll go get the tablet." Cassie smiled, jumping to her feet and racing off, leaving me sitting on the floor of our room in the helicarrier. We arrived there three days ago, and after a few hiccups, Cassie was settling in really well. She still refused to talk to anyone other than me, but she no longer flinched when another person brushed past. She hadn't met Fury yet, but I'm expecting a call any day.

"I found it! What do I search?" Cassie burst back into the room, narrowly avoiding crashing into the doorframe. In her lithe arms was a simple black tablet, still in perfect condition.

"Try, 'goddesses of war' and see what you get?" I suggested, picking up my own tablet from the coffee table and typing in 'Goddess names for girls'. The second result was a website called Nameberry and looked okay so I pressed the link. It took me to a list of 97 names, sprawled over five pages.

Most of the names were what Cassie would refer to as 'soft', such as Delia and Althea. It wasn't until the third page that I hit jackpot.

"Cybele." I tried the name out loud, and Cassie looked up from her tablet.

"Pardon?" Cassie asked politely, and I smiled at her.

"Cybele. It says here she's the Anatolian mother goddess." I clarified, and Cassie paused, thinking.

"Ki-ve-li. Hmm. I like that." she carefully pronounced it, her blue eyes twinkling.

"When Fury calls us in, I'll make it official. Antheia Cybele." 

"Antheia Cybele _Hill_." Cassie corrected me nervously, and I froze. We were both silent for a minute, Cassie holding her breath while I was trying to find mine.

"Uh.. er.." I stammered, and Cassie's face fell. She opened her mouth, dejected, but I quickly interrupted her.

"Of course, Cassie. I was kidding myself if I thought that I could let someone else be your guardian." I reached for her hand, still frozen on the tablet. It took her a second to process my words, then she lit up like a beam of light.

"You really mean that? You'll look after me?" her voice was hopeful, and I nodded simply in reply. She hesitated, then slowly reached for me. She wrapped me in a tight hug, her skinny arms clinging to my neck in a show of strength that reminded me with a jolt, that she wasn't a normal child. I hugged her back, and just as it was getting awkward, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Maria. I'm ready to meet the kid, bring her along." Fury got straight to the point, not even waiting for my reply before hanging up. I sighed, turning to Cassie/Antheia and nodding once.

"I'm ready. I can wear this, right?" She checked, gesturing to her simple outfit of black leggings, a light green shirt and denim overalls. They looked clean, so I nodded again and she jumped up from the floor, racing to the door and dancing on the spot. I laughed, getting up too. My right hip was still a little sore, which made getting up slightly painful, but I'd be okay. 

"Be patient, Antheia. I'm coming." I chuckled, not missing the way her eyes sparkled at the sound of her new name.

We exited our rooms, Antheia no longer a silent shadow beside me. Instead, she was skipping beside me, asking a million questions a minute about Fury, SHIELD, my missions. To an outsider, it looked like aimless questioning, but I knew every answer was being stored in her head, ready to be used in an emergency. I was also aware she was a strange sight to my fellow agents, so I hurried her through the hallways, not stopping to chat with anyone. Soon enough, we reached the black door that lead to Fury's office. I knocked, and a gruff voice called out for us to enter.

"Nick. This is Antheia Cybele Hill. Antheia, meet Nicholas Joseph Fury." I smiled at the little girl as she bounced forward to shake a bemused Fury's hand.

"Hill?" he commented, his eyebrow raised. I nodded sharply, and he nodded back. "Okay, then. Hello Antheia. I hear you're named after two goddesses?" Fury smiled, and it was clearly the right thing to say. All the tension in Antheia's small shoulders disappeared, and she seemed to grow taller.

"Yes, sir. Antheia is Greek, and Cybele is Anatolian." She beamed, and Fury smiled back.

"We have a few things we need to decide, before Maria can officially adopt you. I might have to ask some difficult questions, is that okay?" he checked, and Antheia's body changed. She stood up straighter, and a calm expression settled onto her face. It was unnerving, and I know it bothered Fury too.

"Yes, sir. I understand." her voice was almost emotionless, but not in a cold way. More... neutral. Like she had shut away her emotions for now, and was focused on the task at hand. Fury and I exchanged a glance, then he nodded.

"Okay, then. Have a seat." he gestured at the blue chair in front of his desk. I pulled up a spare chair to sit beside her, which caused her shoulders to relax the tiniest bit.

"How old are you?" he began the questions.

"Seven. My birthday is the first of August, Nineteen Ninety Six." she answered straight away, and he noted something down.

"How many languages have you learnt?" Fury asked.

"Six. German, Portuguese, French, Japanese, English and Russian." she answered impassively, and Fury's eyebrows rose to an impressive height. Exchanging a glance with me, he continued his rapid-fire questioning.

"Weapon Proficiency?"

"Handguns, daggers."

"How many combat styles do you know?"

And so the questioning continued, each answer sending Maria into a state of disbelief. She was lost in thought when Antheia's sharp intake of breath pulled her back to the present.

"Why did you leave?" Fury repeated, his voice firm but kind. Antheia looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"It's okay, Antheia. Take your time." I interjected, gently placing my hand on her shoulder. She flinched then relaxed, and took a deep breath.

"I left because they killed my best friend." her voice trembled ever so slightly.

"What happened, sweetie?" I asked softly, and her face spasmed before she gained control of herself.

"It was my final assignment. Watch her die. I refused. They killed her anyway." Antheia hissed, her voice bitter. My jaw dropped, utter shock and horror coursing through my veins. _They did WHAT to my little girl?_ I fumed, and I could see the sentiment reflected in Fury's eyes.

"Oh, my god." I muttered, and she simply nodded.

"Okay. Well. Uh, I think I have enough to convince the council you're not a threat. Next, do you become a SHIELD agent, or do we wipe you and you become Maria Hill's secret daughter?" Fury's words caught me by surprise, and I immediately began to object. Just as I opened my mouth to protest, Antheia interrupted me.  
"Become an agent." her voice was strong, and impressively so.

"Antheia.. are you sure?" I asked quietly, sending daggers at Fury with my eyes. She nodded, and I sighed heavily.

"There are things that should not be forgotten, Maria. People who shouldn't be forgotten." Antheia explained, her young voice carrying the weight of the world. By Fury's sharp intake of breath, he wasn't expecting that answer. Antheia looked at me pleadingly, her eyes earnest, and I broke.

"Fine. But I'm your handler, and you work alone. Nobody else is to know who you are. Oh, and I want Coulson's team as back-up on every mission." I demanded, and Fury nodded in assent.

"Okay. Your agent number is 0481, and your callsign will be Cassiopeia." he said briskly, rubbing his hands together before returning to his paperwork. I stood up and began walking out the door, Antheia close behind, when he called out again.

"Oh, and Antheia?" Antheia turned to look at him, eyebrows raised, and Fury said the only warm sentence I have ever heard him utter:

"Welcome to the family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Cybele is pronounced ki-ve-li.  
Antheia is simply an-they-a.


	4. Face Your Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Antheia has one thing left to do before she becomes a SHIELD agent. What is it?

**~~3RD PERSON POV~~**

It was a very strange sight, a tiny girl who looked around eight, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a grown woman. The stranger thing?

The girl was winning.

"I yield. Nice job." the woman smiled from her position under the girl, who had her in headlock. The girl got off of her, and lent her a hand in getting up.

"Oof. I'm too old for this." the woman groaned playfully, and the girl smirked, tossing her long dark hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. You said I have one last test before I'm a SHIELD agent, what is it, Maria?" she asked, tugging on the older woman's tight sleeve.

"You're impatient, did you know that?" Maria groaned, and caved when she received puppy eyes.

"Fine. It's not a test, it's something you might want to do before moving on. Antheia, we're going back to burn it to the ground." Maria didn't have to say what 'it' was. They both knew that she meant the HYDRA base that had 'raised' Antheia. Many different emotions flashed through the young girl's clear blue eyes, including apprehension and uncertainty.

Instead of voicing her concerns, however, Antheia merely smiled and answered, "When are we leaving?" Maria raised her eyebrows, and the girl sighed exaggeratedly.

"Fine. When do we depart, _Ma'am?_" Antheia gave a mock curtsy, and Maria laughed.

"You're almost ready to go undercover, you're perfect at acting the sweet little girl." she complimented, her eyes twinkling.

"What are you talking about? I _am _a sweet little girl." Antheia smirked, her voice honey sweet as she smiled winningly at her mother, who just rolled her eyes affectionately.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell that to the kids in the IT department." Maria said drily, wincing as she remembered the agents' outraged splutters as their computers all simultaneously began playing "Baby Shark" nonstop.

"Wasn't my fault they got in the way of my training exercise!" Antheia protested innocently, catching and holding Maria's gaze for a few seconds before both burst out laughing.

**~~Spongebob Voice: 20... Minutes... Later~~**

"Antheia, you ready?" Maria called, standing by the door in full tactical gear and carrying a brown duffel bag.

"Coming!" Antheia called back, exiting her small room with a matching duffel bag. It looked considerably lighter than Maria's, mainly because Maria had all the weapons.

"Let's go. You know the plan, yes?" Maria checked, waiting for Antheia to go through the door before securely shutting and locking their apartment. Antheia rolled her blue eyes, groaning.

"Yes! We head in together, you sweep the building, I head straight to the control rooms, put the compound on lockdown, shut down electricity and find you on the security cameras. Then I go and join you, and we wipe them all out." she recited in a monotone, and Maria chuckled.

"Just checking, kid. Fear does things to a mind." Maria smiled gently, and Antheia flinched.

"I'm not scared, Maria. I'm excited." Antheia's voice became carefully neutral, and Maria glanced at her disbelievingly.

"Which is why you're shaking, you're clenching your left fist and you haven't taken your hand off your pistol since we left our apartment." Maria pointed out quietly, and Antheia sighed.

"Okay, fine. I'm a little nervous. I'll be fine, though." Antheia admitted, silently daring Maria to dispute her, and Maria let it go.

"The quintjet will take a few hours, so you'll have time for a nap if you want." Maria changed the topic, and Antheia glanced at her gratefully. They'd discovered that Antheia actually fought better when she was fresh from sleep, as she didn't have time to think and worry. Everything was purely instinctual. Plus, what eight year-old didn't like naps?

By now, they had arrived at the quintjet. As usual, the only other person around was the pilot, who was under strict orders not to interact with Antheia in any way.

Antheia wore black leggings and a black tank-top, with a grey hoodie covering her face to avoid any curious stares. She was very obviously young, as at eight she was very small. There were already whispers about the young agent who was being trained by Maria Hill herself, but they held no real merit.

"Agent Rumlow." Maria greeted, and their pilot nodded back. Antheia watched him carefully as he entered the quintjet ahead of them, not quite trusting him.

"He's okay, Agent." Maria saw her looking, and murmured quietly to her, careful not to say her name. Antheia gave her a single nod of acknowledgement, moving her eyes away from the man, however every now and then her eyes would drift back to his hunched over body. There was something off about him, but she dismissed it as pre-battle nerves.

**~~Two Hours, Twenty-Three Minutes Later~~**

"We've arrived, where would you like me to set you down?" Agent Rumlow interrupted Maria's musings, wincing and lowering his voice at her sharp glare.

Thinking quickly, Maria pointed down below them, at the village in which Antheia and Maria had met. Rumlow nodded once, returning to the cockpit to land the quinjet quickly and quietly. Once he had gone, she made her way to the bench on which Antheia was curled up in a small ball. Taking a moment to study the young girl's face, Maria smiled at the peaceful expression on her adopted daughter's thin face.

"Theia. Time to wake up." she murmured, careful not to crowd her. Antheia instantly opened her eyes, sleepy but aware.

"We there?" she asked simply, and Maria nodded. "Where are we being set down?" Antheia sat up and stretched, careful not to overdo it.

"The village. Figured we could hike the perimeter and take out the guards as we go." Maria answered, already donning her camouflage vest and pants. Grabbing a couple of knives, she tossed one to Antheia before putting one in her own boot. "You going to change, or?" Antheia shook her head.

"I fight better in these. Got the pills?" her casual question threw Maria off guard.

"Pills?" she questioned, buying time. Antheia snorted.

"The cyanide pills you hide from me in the interrogation kit. I want one." Antheia's voice was firm, and Maria's eyebrows shot up. "Before you protest, if they catch me, they _will_ torture me, Maria. Maybe even wipe me and start over. I will not go back." she continued, aware of Maria's eyes burning a hole in her back as she bent to double check her laces. Sighing, her mentor handed her a small purple capsule, her face showing resignation. Tucking it into a special pocket on the strap of her training bra, Antheia nodded gratefully at Maria, who smiled softly at her protégé before wincing when the quintjet bumped to the ground. So much for smooth.

"You agents ready? We've landed, once you're out of sight I'll head back to the agreed rendezvous spot. If you're not back by tomorrow noon, I'm sending Coulson in." Rumlow appeared next to them, watching the smaller agent check the magazine on her pistol. Maria nodded in acknowledgment, tapping Antheia once on the shoulder before opening the quintjet ramp and descending. Antheia followed, her right hand clutching her gun tightly, other hand resting lightly on a knife strapped to her belt.

The trek to the outer rim of the HYDRA base was a long one, through thick brush. Last time, it had taken Antheia days because she was delirious and had no idea where to go. This time, it took her and Maria only eight hours. They stopped a few times to gulp down energy bars and check the tiny map, never lingering long. Both agents were equally aware that the closer they got to the base, the more danger they were in.

It was late evening by the time Maria and Antheia finally reached their destination. The base was in no way conspicuous; it was a huge, castle-like structure surrounded by barbed wire fences and electric tape strong enough to kill. 

"Are you ready?" Maria was crouched behind a large bush, Antheia sitting beside her. The eight-year-old nodded silently, her face pale. "Are you sure? It's not too late to back out. We don't have to do this." she reassured the young girl, but Antheia instantly shook her head. 

"No. This has to be done, or they'll never stop haunting me. I know how Agent Green really got injured, and it wasn't falling off her horse like the report said." Antheia's voice was faint, but got stronger as she continued. "I'm putting everyone in danger by not fighting back. Maybe if we destroy this base, they'll back off until I'm older and able to take them on." Maria sighed, inwardly cursing whoever was careless enough to let slip Agent Green's mission details.

"Okay. Do you want the guards, or shall I?" Maria stood up abruptly, gesturing with her gun towards the two beefy guards walking along the fence. Antheia's expression took on a predatory look, which Maria took as an answer within itself.

They didn't speak for the rest of the journey from the outside fences to the castle door. Antheia had dispatched a total of four guards, and was starting to smile. 

"Ready?" she asked Maria, placing a small explosive on the metal door hinges.

"Ready." Maria answered with a smile, and the bloodbath began.

**~~ANTHEIA'S POV~~**

I waited for the explosive to detonate, not even flinching as shards of metal went everywhere. Maria kicked the door in, and before it had hit the ground I was fighting. There were three guards waiting for us, guns pointed at head height, so I hit the ground and slipped between the first guard's legs. Shooting him in the back of one knee, I used him as a shield while I shot the second guard in the neck three times. It was a safe bet that they were enhanced like the ones from when I first escaped, so one shot wasn't enough. Three seemed to do the trick, so I dropped the first guard, shot him twice in the head, and waited for Maria to finish with the third. By the time she had pulled her knife out of his throat, I was already running up the nearest set of stairs, which from memory led directly to the control room. Another three guards met me at the top of the stairs, guns drawn and aimed. They weren't wearing protection, which was a fatal mistake. I threw my knife at the biggest guard, impaling her eye and leaving her screaming. While she thrashed, I shot the other two guards once each in the head, neck and chest. They collapsed like rocks, and as I stepped past them I easily ripped my knife out of the still-screaming woman's eye.

She clutched at my leg with a bloody hand, and as she recognised me through her one good eye, dug her nails in. "You should be dead." she snarled, whimpering when I brought my knife close to her remaining eye. I smirked, leaning down to whisper grimly in her ear.

"You _are _dead." Bringing my knife down in one quick slash, her eye went dull and her hand loosened on my calf. Kicking her off me, I marched towards the fancy-looking door about three metres ahead of me. Before I could reach it, however, it crashed open and I was surrounded by guards holding semi-automatics. In front of me was the head scientist from years ago, Dr Silveto. I held still for several seconds, contemplating my next move, as she slowly advanced towards me with a predatory gleam in her cold eyes.

"You." she hissed, and I glared right back.  
"Yep. Me." I answered simply, still careful not to move. I was extremely conscious of the purple pill weighing heavily in my bra, but with all of the guards' attentions on me,there was no way I could reach it in time. But just as I was preparing to fight, a loud crash sounded, momentarily distracting the guards and Dr Silveto. In that split second I ripped the capsule out of its pouch and stuffed it in my mouth, swallowing hard and preparing for the inevitable pain.

It never came.

Dr Silveto had frozen when she'd realised what I'd done, but as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened, she slowly broke into a smile. Gesturing for the guards to drop their weapons, she advanced until she stood directly in front of me, but I didn't see her. All I could see was Maria handing me that pill, over and over. It wasn't a dud, I was certain of it. So what was going on?

I dropped to my knees, horrified. Why wasn't I dead?

"_What have you done to me?" _I screamed, and she laughed. 

"No, sweetheart. What have we done _for _you?"

WILL CONTINUE SHORTLY, CHAPTER NEARLY DONE. WHY DO YOU THINK THE CYANIDE DIDN'T WORK?


End file.
